Arming teachers to protect our childen
Why not give arms to teachers?
Some people are proposing equipping teachers with weapons so that they can deter school shooters. I won’t throw links to those individuals’ BS, because I don’t want to advance their influence by increasing their link counts. For examples, though, see reports by Chuck and Siemaszko (2018) and Clark (2018), among others.
According to some analyses, such policies will not work (Aleem, 2022; Woolf, 2018). I agree that efforts to arm educators is foolish. Here’s my current (and incomplete; expect more) analysis.
Big picture
Arming teachers goes against what teaching is all about! As Willingham and Willingham (2012) noted, arming teachers switches the focus of education from building up to tearing down. Addressing their note to Virginia’s Govenor at that time, they explained that
There's another aspect of this proposal that perhaps you didn't consider. We can't speak for all teachers, but do speak for ourselves: one of us an instructor at a public university, the other, an elementary school teacher. Carrying a weapon, even for the purpose of self-defense, conflicts with the very essence of why we teach.
Let’s think a little more…again…with more ideas:
Sure, maybe the policy would only provide arms to teachers who agree to carry them and have been trained in their correct use. But, how many times would such choice and training be ineffective, leading to untoward outcomes?
If America provides side arms to many thousands of teachers, how many of those sidearms might get stolen, lost, and then misused?
Where would a teacher store her or his weapon? Packing heat as a sidearm? Storing it in a locked drawer? What are the problems with those recommendations?
How many might mistakenly be used to quell an unarmed quarrel between students? Would teachers seek to control disruptive situations with their weapons?
What happens if, as almost inevitably would happen, a teacher’s gun discharges accidentally...and a child or fellow educator is shot?
How many might be used in suicides? (Corollary: How many school shootings by late adolescents have essentially been suicides, either by self-inflicted harm or by expected death by law-enforcement action?)
How many times might an armed teacher be mistaken for a shooter by law enforcement officers seeking to stop a shooter. What if she mistakenly shot a first responder?
What if an teacher armed with a handgun began shooting at an intruder armed with a rapid-fire weapon (e.g., “AR-15”)? Who’s going to go down?
And let’s also, remember the business-financial aspect here. If America provided 100,000s of teachers with weapons, those guns would have to come from somewhere. They’d not likely be “printed” or “ghost guns” about which we hear in the news. Some companies would surely benefit by manufacturing and selling those weapons. And, would the teachers have to pay for the weapons? Where would communities, that are struggling to pay for salaries and curricula, find the funds to buy the weapons? Oh well…forget it…send our schools’ $$ to gun manufacturers?
Now, let’s think about special education students. What does having an armed special or general education teacher communicate to our kids? How does a child interpret this situation? Does it convey
A sense of protection: “OK, I’m safe here!”
A worry: “Oh, man, I gotta remember that she’s serious and I better behave!”
A fright: “Sh_t, man, this chick is out to get me!”
As my Uncle Bill clearly explained to me, “Guns are for killing.” Let’s not make killing a responsibility of teachers. Sure, let’s address gun safety. Let’s not make those who teach children the front line of challenges of the US society’s or culture’s veneration of allowing people to shoot up lots of children and others human beings.
I do not want to promote a policy that makes money for companies (and their investors) that create objects designed to kill people. We should treat school shootings—and mass shootings, in general—in the way outlined by Katelyn Jetelina.
Sources
Aleem, A. (2022, May 25). The Texas shooting shows the futility of arming teachers: If armed and trained professionals can’t stop a gunman, how can a teacher be expected to? MSNBC. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/texas-school-shooting-shows-why-arming-teachers-wouldn-t-have-n1295693
Chuck, W., & Siemaszko, C. (2018). Trump’s proposal to arm teachers panned by experts as a ‘colossally stupid idea’: Following speeches by the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre and President Donald Trump, experts said arming teachers simply won’t solve our school safety. NBCNews. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-s-proposal-arm-teachers-panned-experts-colossally-stupid-idea-n850286
Clark, D., Trump defends arming teachers, applauds NRA: Trump defended giving teachers guns to protect students during shootings, saying he wants “adept” educators to fire back at a “sicko shooter.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-defends-arming-teachers-protect-students-sicko-shooter-n850216
illingham, D, & Willingham, T. (2012). Governor McDonnell, I don't want guns at my school. http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/governor-mcdonnell-i-dont-want-guns-at-my-school
Woolf, L. (2018, 4 March). Arming Teachers: Good or Bad Idea? Explores the issue of arming teachers as a solution to mass shooters in schools. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fight-against-hate/201803/arming-teachers-good-or-bad-idea
An article on AXIOS this AM reminds us that over the past two years, teachers have had to 1) switch to virtual instruction, 2) risk infection from their students, 3) deal with politicians telling them what they can teach, books their students can read, what programs they can use to help their students with their social and emotional needs and now 4) the fear of being shot. No wonder there are sharp declines in the number of college students planning to become teachers.